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It was supposed to be the candle holder. I'm guessing now it'll just be a flick of a switch. To be honest, I'd be fine with no trap door at all and a sticker or painted rug that looked more like the one on the old Grayskull, myself. The square-ish one just looked funny to me.

Your figuring really only applies if ALL the dimensions are reduced proportionally; your cubing the change in one dimension assumes the other dimensions have been reduced by the same amount. As far as we've seen and been told, the big difference is the height. If the width and depth have not changed from the original specs (and there's been so much talk of the height I honestly don't know if there was a major change in the other two dimensions), then the actual change in the total volume will be equal to the change in the height. If we lose 8% of the height, the volume will be reduced by the same percent, as the other two dimensions (and their product) remain the same.

Take a cube:

Volume of a cube 10x2x3 = 60

Half the first dimension: 5x2x3 = 30

You halved the length, and kept the other dimensions the same, thus you halved the total space within.

The type of change you're talking about is indeed drastic if ALL the dimensions are halved; if each of the above dimensions is halved, you wind up with a volume a mere 1/8 of the original (each of the three dimensions is multiplied by 1/2, so you have 1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2 = 1/8).

If all three dimensions have been reduced, then there is likely a major reduction in the inner space of the castle. If only one has changed, then the reduction of volume is the same as the reduction of that length.

Of course, the castle isn't a perfect cube, and cutting the height might cause changes in the sculpt and thus the total area within, but the basic principles still apply, overall.

The reduction has to be at the same rate along all three dimensions. Otherwise, there would be a noticeable change in the castle's proportions (if you only made it shorter while retaining the original width and depth, the result would look noticeably "fatter"). When you "shrink" a 3D object, all three dimensions are diminished at the same proportional rate if the object is to retain its original shape. If you reduce its size along only one or two of its three dimensions, you end up with a distortedly shaped smaller object ("thinner", "fatter", etc.).

OTOH, it doesn't matter in the least whether the object is a cube or whatever other three-dimensional shape. It's only the proportional rate of shrinkage that matters and the fact that it gets cubed when applied uniformly along all three dimensions to preserve the object's proportions. Any finite 3D shape can be enclosed by a 3D prism, and the shrinkage of the enclosed object is proportional to the shrinkage of its enclosing box. So if the enclosing box shrinks 10% in height while retaining the proportions of its original shape, its volume decreases by about 25%, and any object it encloses decreases its volume by that same percentual amount.

There's no noticeable change in the proportions (height-to-width, height-to-depth) of the prototype as compared with those of the B sheet drawing (it doesn't look "fatter", "thinner", "deeper" nor "shallower"), so the 10% decrease in height was also a 10% decrease in width and a 10% decrease in depth, and thus it became a 25% decrease in volume/enclosed space.

I was only trying to clarify the point he was going for with the example.
....
Not one single person requesting an "in scale" Castle is talking about true-to-life scale. They just want (most of) the figures--always within reason--to fit without crouching or bumping their heads. Which IMO is a simple, extraordinarily reasonable request, especially in light of the plans we were sold on and the money invested in the product.

Thanks, Lay Ze-Man. You seem to understand exactly how I feel about the Castle. Thanks for explayning my sentiments while I was sleeping.

There is no wrong or right here. There is a group that is fine with the current size and there is a group that feels this castle is too small for a 7 inch line. I am one of those. Things are a tad too small for me. It will annoy the crap out of me in the long run.
For me to spend 400$ on it it had to be at least the size of the foam board proto.

I am just sharing how I feel about the current castle. I wish I felt different

So I guess I will be going with the Icon Heroes Castle and hope maybe Matt from Onell design will do a cool 2 inch figure to go with it.
Or something like the minimasters will happen in the future.

I love how proud some are in the other thread to say they cancelled their castle. Even screen shots of it.

I have until August 30th,why someone would not wait,is beyond me,but hey your choice.

I would like to thank those of you that did cancel your castles though,your preorder did make this go through. I am truly sorry it does not meet your standard and feel a need to cancel. Again thank you guys though for the preorders. I hope some of you change your mind or at least wait until sdcc.

Come early 2014,the picture thread will blow up with pics of the castle and the beautiful displays it has inspired. So some of you post your canceled order screens,I will post my epic castle surrounded by over 100 figures.

Thanks, Lay Ze-Man. You seem to understand exactly how I feel about the Castle. Thanks for explayning my sentiments while I was sleeping.

No need to thank me!

There is no wrong or right here. There is a group that is fine with the current size and there is a group that feels this castle is too small for a 7 inch line. I am one of those. Things are a tad too small for me. It will annoy the crap out of me in the long run.
For me to spend 400$ on it it had to be at least the size of the foam board proto.

I think this is how a lot of people feel. I think Scott made a serious miscalculation about how vitally important THAT size was to us. It seems that what he failed to understand is that for many of us that foam mock-up was the bare minimum size that a MOTUC Grayskull needed to be, and not something that could be adjusted under any circumstances. But it WAS "big enough" which is why there were little or no comments about its size, because we all assumed that was a done deal.

So . . . maybe some, or ALL of the accessories had to be nixed to keep it within budget? Fine, but instead of arrogantly deciding that FOR us, what would've been so horrible about presenting that choice to the customer? Something like "You guys want a smaller Castle with most of the accessories, or do you want the original size now, with the accessories and add-ons to come later on, sold separately?"

And to be brutally honest, in that scenario if Mattel were not able to deliver an empty, appropriately-sized Castle Grayskull for $250, then they have no business making Grayskull at all. And in fact should sell MotU once and for all to a company that doesn't self-impose such absurd and archaic limitations.

I know that sounds harsh, but we're talking about a hollow, molded toy plastic shell here!$200 should be more than sufficient, let alone $250 . . .

I love how proud some are in the other thread to say they cancelled their castle. Even screen shots of it.

I have until August 30th,why someone would not wait,is beyond me,but hey your choice.

I would like to thank those of you that did cancel your castles though,your preorder did make this go through. I am truly sorry it does not meet your standard and feel a need to cancel. Again thank you guys though for the preorders. I hope some of you change your mind or at least wait until sdcc.

Come early 2014,the picture thread will blow up with pics of the castle and the beautiful displays it has inspired. So some of you post your canceled order screens,I will post my epic castle surrounded by over 100 figures.

I can't wait to see pictures of all the figures with bent legs and standing by a castle door that looks like they'll have to duck to walk through. It'll make the people that canceled their orders that much prouder.

Everyone that cancels their order should respect those that are satisfied with the castle, and vice versa. The satisfied customers are going to get their castles, regardless of who cancels the order. The ones who do cancel keep $250 in their pockets and are allowed to use it to buy something that they feel is worth that money spent.

I can't wait to see pictures of all the figures with bent legs and standing by a castle door that looks like they'll have to duck to walk through. It'll make the people that canceled their orders that much prouder.

If you watch the video..youll notice that the new castle grayskull is about as big as the 200x castle grayskull.just wider entrances.
the ceilings are even higher on the 200x version which would fit motuc figures better and includes a third level as well. If you watch around 12:30, he demonstrates on a motuc trap jaw

I hope it's okay if I speak to the trap door and how it works.
The 4HM designed it such that the throne does indeed activate it with a twist. Similar to what the old one did, but from what I saw, room for a more sturdy mechanism. I'm guessing Mattel's team will keep it that way as it looked to be simple and effective.

I hope it's okay if I speak to the trap door and how it works.
The 4HM designed it such that the throne does indeed activate it with a twist. Similar to what the old one did, but from what I saw, room for a more sturdy mechanism. I'm guessing Mattel's team will keep it that way as it looked to be simple and effective.

THAT is awesome!

I remember that TG NEVER guaranteed that the throne would open it. Even back when the first pre-orders were around, that was one of my main concerns. His answer was ALWAYS, 'We'll look into it. The trap door WILL open, but we can't comment how yet..."

in fact the candle I hadn't seen anything commented on except for the site saying we were getting point dread included... so that seemed a questionable source.

I really do feel that the throne is such a CLASSIC concept, that NOT having it there would be a crime...

Well unless something amazing is revealed at SDCC I'll be canceling 2 of my 3 preorders. I put 2 on a separate CC that I have no problem canceling. So wait and see I guess. Sucks we get *** again. They keep making the weapons packs that include weapons they weren't able to pack in with the figures I just wonder why they didn't go with a larger less accessorized CG and issue a "beast/large fig" slot to a CG upgrade set. They can add crap to accessory packs for as long as the line goes, but the size issue is a one time non-fixable deal.

I love how proud some are in the other thread to say they cancelled their castle.

Come early 2014,the picture thread will blow up with pics of the castle and the beautiful displays it has inspired. So some of you post your canceled order screens,I will post my epic castle surrounded by over 100 figures.

Don't Worry....... I'll STILL be part of it !

Not sure about others who cancelled their Pre-Orders, As for me, I only cancelled 2 Of My 3 CG's................ so 1 IS coming (unless we see a horrible, 14" CG at SDCC ) ! So I am STILL in the game !!

Originally Posted by phantom1592

I really do feel that the throne is such a CLASSIC concept, that NOT having it there would be a crime...

One of thing I am worried about the throne is (well, not EXACTLY about the throne) the gap its going to have for Sorceress ! We all know it is done for her back wing/feather, but my biggest concern is, will it cause a scratch mark/paint chip on her wing/feather piece ???

I don't want to risk this unless they give us Sorceress 2.0 !

Originally Posted by TUC138

Hey, I may not get my Filmation Skeletor, *REMOVED*, Filmation Evil-Lyn or Filmation Sorceress 2.0............ BUT, Some Day.......... Somehow...... Mattel will give me the another variants of these same characters ! However, there is very little chance for your Kayo, or Kitrina or Vultak or any of your desired characters if you fail to support the 2.0's & variants in 2016.... or in the future !

I love how proud some are in the other thread to say they cancelled their castle. Even screen shots of it.

I have until August 30th,why someone would not wait,is beyond me,but hey your choice.

I would like to thank those of you that did cancel your castles though,your preorder did make this go through. I am truly sorry it does not meet your standard and feel a need to cancel. Again thank you guys though for the preorders. I hope some of you change your mind or at least wait until sdcc.

Come early 2014,the picture thread will blow up with pics of the castle and the beautiful displays it has inspired. So some of you post your canceled order screens,I will post my epic castle surrounded by over 100 figures.

wow man look at your post..your mocking us in your first line (pointing to me specifically) then saying your truly sorry, thanking us for good intentions to fund the castle development, then back to mocking us

Well to (air quotes) Clear the air about the cancellation thread I started. I made it after I saw Scott's blow off video of him fumbling around with a tape measure. I really disliked the way he through up his arms basically saying this is your castle what more do you want? His snarky attitude drove me out. I posted a screenshot to acknowledge this wasn't a bluff. Only then did he start the Clearing the air thread and only then did he come out and state Cancel if you want...but once you do you cant come back in. Which really got me scratching my head, because if the Castle gets better then its because of us unsatisfied customers..You know there will be another presale after SDCC, So if they do make the changes we asked for...then we should be allowed back in.

Like I said in other posts as a He-Fan I've never been able to commit to a $700 subscription. Its not fair to my family to spend that much money on toys. But if your not a subscriber then your a cherry picker and treated like 2nd rate citizen here on the boards and now on matty with there Early Access. When CG was announced I was elated, Because I thought Finally there doing something right with presales, stuff us casual customers have been asking for. To show my support to get CG just into development, I gladly signed up, taking a gamble, because I never assumed there would be any way to cancel. I was lead to believe depending on how presales go they'll add more to the castle and when they open up the next gate for presales they'll add even more to the castle. I was under the impressions fans would have alot more input in the development.

I think its wise to cancel CG's bought to resell because everyone who REALLY wants one will pre order it
And if your on the fence the inflated secondary market price plus shipping and the fact it probably wont be under the tree (if bought on secondary market) would make it a hard sell
?

They can add crap to accessory packs for as long as the line goes, but the size issue is a one time non-fixable deal.

Very concise way to put it.

I'd be interested to hear if Scott understood this as a majority stance by the fans, and whether he tried to "go to bat" for a bigger Castle at all.

Originally Posted by seth-man

Which really got me scratching my head, because if the Castle gets better then its because of us unsatisfied customers..You know there will be another presale after SDCC, So if they do make the changes we asked for...then we should be allowed back in.

It's true. If improvements are made, part of the motive will definitely be a mad scramble to prevent hemorrhaging further pre-orders. They're actively losing sales that aren't guaranteed to be made up, especially at the new higher price point.

Fine, keep the "AMAZING" poster as an exclusive, but the right thing to do with an improved Castle would be to allow new orders at the original $250 price point.

$250 was one of the carrots to pre-ordering early, but so too were the larger dimensions and loads of promised accessories. Sure it's not fair for Scott to have it both ways.

Like I said in other posts as a He-Fan I've never been able to commit to a $700 subscription. Its not fair to my family to spend that much money on toys. But if your not a subscriber then your a cherry picker and treated like 2nd rate citizen here on the boards and now on matty with there Early Access. When CG was announced I was elated, Because I thought Finally there doing something right with presales, stuff us casual customers have been asking for. To show my support to get CG just into development, I gladly signed up, taking a gamble, because I never assumed there would be any way to cancel. I was lead to believe depending on how presales go they'll add more to the castle and when they open up the next gate for presales they'll add even more to the castle. I was under the impressions fans would have alot more input in the development.

It's the false floor and the base... it's throwing the whole thing off. If my kid leans on that floor it's gonna break... and it removes a lot of head room. It makes the dungeon door too short... which should go all the way to the ceiling.

But WOW... what a nice sculpt and vintage collectors will absolutely LOVE it... It's perfect for them.

There's nothing wrong to like this product. But there's also a reason, why some many customers / fans aren't satisfied with that castle.

Agreed. There's really no need to attack anyone who wants to cancel or support the Castle.

It's obvious that the scale is not what was promised in the B-sheet. It's smaller than it should be. That's the only major problem IMO with it.

To me, the scale isn't that much of a deal breaker. I don't play with my figures so a lot of the "playability" complaints really don't bother me. I'll just be displaying it on a shelf with my figures. It looks great and it's much more in scale than the vintage castle was to vintage figures. I never remember complaining about the vintage one as a child.

I do agree with what Duke said a few pages back. Mattel should have delivered what was promised and cut back on the "extras" that weren't on the B-sheet. A B-sheet sized castle with little accessories would have been better. Mattel could have just sold the rest of the stuff in Expansion Packs. The robot, as a regular figure, IMO would have been a great SDCC Exclusive for this year.

I just wanted to say that I really hope MOST people who want to cancel, or are thinking about cancelling, wait to cancel AFTER SDCC. Even if you don't think seeing it at SDCC will change your mind...the Castle will be final at SDCC. No more cuts or changes can be made at that time. The more cancellations Mattel receives right now, the more accessories and/or deco will probably be cut from the Castle. So, cancelling your orders right NOW kind of screws over the people who are keeping their orders. Everyone has until August to cancel. Please, PLEASE consider this before cancelling prior to SDCC. Thank you for listening and pass this along as you feel the need.

Take part in Illumina Day! Let people know who she is and help get her in MOTUC.

So, its one of the most head-scratching parts of the new Castle, right? Even though I love the Castle overall, I just didn't get this. It doesn't seem like the WR will fit in there. So what if it really isn't MEANT for the Wind Raider, but something else they can't talk about because it's not announced yet?

Again, this is pure speculation on my part, but the sky sled of part of the Battle Ram would be pretty cool on a stand in there...